Beyond Partners
by Sammie86
Summary: Deeks comes to Kensi's rescue in a way she never imagined.  Is it time for them both admit that they've moved to a place beyond partnership?


**A/N: So this is my first ever fanfic to appear anywhere but my own laptop. I'm not nervous, just terrified. But I had to take the plunge sometime so why not now? This idea is very cliché to me but I just love the idea of Deeks saving Kensi from Jack, in any way, and I couldn't let it go. **

**Spelling mistakes and bad grammar are a pet peeve of mine so if you notice any (assuming anybody is actually reading this) please feel free to point them out. Also, English is my first language but I'm not American, Australian or British so I apologise in advance for the use of different words/phrases/spellings. **

**Disclaimer: Nothing to do with NCIS:LA is mine. **

Special Agent Kensi Blye's feet hurt. Her back ached and her hair was beginning to cling to the back of her neck in that uncomfortable, sticky way that the guys would never understand. Well, maybe Deeks and his seemingly uncontrollable mane would get it but still, she seemed to be the one who was always dumped undercover in the middle of a dance floor in a ridiculously short dress and even ridiculously higher shoes. _ This_ dance floor though, she had to admit, was better than others she'd had to trail through. Instead of drunk frat guys trying to grab her ass, she found herself weeding her way through, what felt like hundreds, of quite respectable looking, easy-going young professionals. Or maybe it was still early enough and nobody was that drunk yet, she thought cynically.

"No sign of the target"

"Okay, do one more lap and meet us out back. We'll regroup and take it from there." Callen said through her earpiece.

"On it." Kensi replied straight away. Never had she been so eager to get out of a pair of shoes.

As if he could read her mind, Deeks' voice came through her earpiece an instant later, "I've got your flat shoes at the ready partner."

Kensi breathed a sigh of relief to herself and glanced up to where her partner was drinking, while not actually drinking, at the bar. Their eyes met over the shoulder of the very attractive blonde he was pretending to flirt with, albeit very convincingly. A split second later and she was continuing her final loop through the crowd, eyes peeled for the target. Finally she approached the steps that would lead her off the dance floor and she began her ascent, confident that their target had definitely not shown. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sam and Callen get up from a table in the far right corner of the bar and make their way towards the back exit, neither sparing a glance for their team mate. A quick scan over the bar under the pretence of looking for someone, showed Deeks doing the same thing. Although he left a very disappointed looking young lady behind. Kensi gave herself a mental high-five for that one.

"See you guys in two minu – oomph" Kensi blurted as someone shouldered her off the steps.

"Kensi?" Deeks' voice came sharply through her earpiece.

"Hey, you wanna watch where you're going?" Kensi demanded as she caught her balance and straightened up,_ god dammed shoes._

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Miss – Kensi?"

Kensi's head snapped up, but the voice that went with the very rude shoulder had already set her brain in motion. She knew it would happen sooner or later. God or karma or whoever clearly hated her. Because it would have to be now. It would have to be when she was working, and sweaty and achy and in shoes that were too high that she would finally be forced to _literally _bump into him. She tried not to look up, to just turn on her way too high heel and walk away, she really did. She begged her brain to let her do it. But she didn't. Couldn't? She didn't know, but there she was, one foot on the step she'd been pushed off, one foot on the dance floor pointed towards her escape, staring into Jack Callaghan's eyes. Her ex- fiancés eyes.

"Jack" she breathed out, resigned to her fate of mortification. Because no, Jack was not alone. Of course not. No, jack was only there with the tallest, tanned-est, blondest most beautiful, model looking like woman Kensi had ever seen. Even with the silly half shock, half realisation face that made Kensi realise that this woman knew _exactly _who she was.

_Great, humiliation number two of the evening, _she thought to herself, pleading silently that whoever might be listening and feeling an inkling of sympathy towards her might interrupt this little reunion somehow.

No such luck.

_Okay, time to grab some dignity back Kensi, _she thought.

"Hi, I'm Kensi, um Kensi Blye, I'm um, an old... friend... of Jack's" Kensi said as she held out her hand to the model look-a-like._ Okay, friend, I can deal with friend_, she thought, as she tried to convince her hand to stop shaking long enough to get it safely back in a vice grip around her bag like her other one was.

"Joanna Callaghan, nice to meet you" the model replied with a polite smile, clearly trying to soften the blow for Kensi. _Great, now I get pity. That's just the icing on the damn cake. _Kensi could feel the blood rush straight to her cheeks and her hands begin to sweat. _I'm a walking cliché _she scolded herself whist running escape scenarios through her head. Nothing came to her that didn't involve injury, mass panic or worse, more humiliation. And so she resigned herself to the ensuing awkwardness that she was certain Jack and Joanna were also feeling, if the look on Jack's face was anything to go by anyway. Kensi grimaced internally as he opened his mouth in what she was sure was going to be a stellar effort at non-awkward conversation.

"So, um, how have you been?" _Yep, there it is._

"Great, yeah, I have been, great" she answered with way too big a smile which she knew indicated that she had been the exact opposite. So much so, that Kensi was just about to ready for the sticky, marred, wooden floor underneath her feet to open up and swallow her whole. Again, no such luck.

"And you? You've been good?"

"Kens!"

Kensi jumped slightly at the sound of her name being called from a few feet away. She turned in the direction of the voice and saw her partner fighting his way through the crowd to her, worry clearly evident on his face. Not something she usually sees there when they're in a club, undercover or not. She flashes him a confused look before it clicks; earpieces. Of course, her team mates have heard everything. Wonderful. As Deeks reaches her, she tries to turn back to Jack and Joanna and excuse herself but Deeks' hand stops her, and then she feels it wind around her waist and pull her closer to him. She inclines her head towards him and he presses his lips to her cheek.

"I was looking for you everywhere, this place is packed." Deeks said looking straight into her eyes before turning his attention to the couple standing right in front of them.

_Ah, the infamous Jack, and his consolation prize, _Deeks thought.

"Deeks this is Jack and his wife Joanna" as Kensi introduced her partner to the ex that had done a pretty good job of shattering her heart, Deeks felt her arm wrap around him tightly around him and her fingers bunch around his shirt.

_Yep, she's upset_.

"Hey" Deeks held out his hand to both of them but he didn't go any further with the pleasantries because, well it wasn't nice to meet them at all. "Babe, do you wanna go? I'm not too keen on the crowd in here" Deeks said turning back to face his partner. She stared at him for a second, the meaning behind his words clear to her. And apparently to Jack too, who had begun to shuffle awkwardly on the spot. _Well, good,_ thought Deeks.

"Yeah, we can go, " Kensi responded, her lips beginning to turn up in a sweet smile. It was barely there but Deeks caught it. Their eyes were still locked together and both partners felt this charade that Deeks had set up to save her turn into an intimately private moment between them. Just as Kensi was about to turn her head to bid Jack and his wife goodnight, Deeks raised his hand, cupped her cheek and brought his lips down to meet hers. To an outsider, and to Jack and Joanna, it looked perfectly normal, like they were any other couple. Of course it did. This is what they're good at, the acting, the charades, being people they're not. Nobody knew any different but them. Nobody was aware of Kensi desperately willing her heart to slow down and to stop her hand from rising from his waist to touch his face, or of Deeks, who hadn't even planned to kiss her until the feeling of being her boyfriend had just felt so _right_ and instinct had taken over.

They broke apart and shared a small smile. Kensi turned her head slightly towards her ex who was looking anywhere but at her and her partner, and his wife who was smiling at her, as if she was happy that Kensi was okay. That she had someone.

"Well, goodnight" she said and turned back to Deeks, ready to make their way out of the bar to where and Sam and Callen were waiting, and she'd bet a box of Twinkies very impatiently.

Deeks moved his hand so it wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him again so that her head rested under his chin and steered her around to guide her out. Her arm came around to drape around his front and hold onto his shirt on his other side.

They were only two steps away when Deeks felt someone grab his elbow and pull him back, creating a distance between him and Kensi that he really didn't appreciate. He turned around and saw that it was Jack's hand on his arm.

"Man, what the..." Deeks began but Jack stopped him, removing his hand and lifting it up in defence. Joanna looked between the two men, wary and confused. Kensi was calculating how much damage Deeks would do to this guy if things got out of hand and how long she'd let him at it before intervening. Hey, she'd been hurt, bad.

"Look man, I just wanna know..." Jack hesitated.

"What?" Deeks said harshly, he really wasn't in the mood for whatever this guy had to say right now. He'd already had to restrain himself from punching him straight in the face once tonight. Okay, twice.

"I just need to know...if she's...is she OK?" Jack finally finished.

Deeks looked at Jack shocked. Joanna looked resigned and Kensi's head snapped up to look at Jack, clearly as shocked as Deeks was. Her focus went between the two of them, trying to telepathically convince Deeks to lie, to tell Jack that of course she was fine, not a bother on Kensi, she was absolutely one hundred per cent fine.

"Are you kidding me?" Deeks said in exasperation.

_Okay, he's not gonna lie, _Kensi thought, _dammit I don't need defensive Deeks right now!_

"Of course she's not okay" Deeks continued, and took a step closer to Jack, almost invading his space, just teetering on the line of threatening. He saw Jack's eyes widen in shock and...was that shame? Or guilt?

"She's Kensi, she's so much more than okay it frickin' amazes me. She's incredible. And if you'd ever looked at her like I do, or known her like I do, or had her back like I do, or ...loved her, like I do, you wouldn't have to ask."

Deeks turned around, rant over, and looked straight at Kensi who had been staring him, her eyes widening and her heart swelling with each word that fell from his mouth. What she saw in his eyes terrified her, and thrilled her. Sincerity. He meant every word and he was letting her see the truth behind them like he never had before.

"Come on" he said as he stepped forward and wrapped his hand back around her shoulders and led her across the bar and out the back exit to where Sam and Callen were waiting. Deeks didn't drop his arm until they were safely outside and the door had closed behind them. Kensi shivered as the night air hit her now bare shoulders.

The looks on her team mates faces said it all. They had heard every word and knew that she was so not okay right now. Sam looked at her and held her eyes for just a few seconds before dialling Eric on his cell. Callen nodded at the partners and then turned away from them towards Sam to listen in on the conversation with Eric. Her silent pillars of strength.

Kensi glanced down as she felt the backs of Deeks' fingers brush hers and then entwine them together. She looked up at him and he leaned forward, kissed her forehead and gave hear hand a gentle squeeze before letting go and turning his attention to the others. Kensi copied him and tried to focus on what Sam was saying.

"Hetty said to call it a night. She wants us in OPS at 7am to go through the security footage of the bar, just in case we missed something" Sam said, starting towards the parking lot.

"Get her home Deeks" he finished before turning his back on them, with Callen following him, leaving a "good job guys" in his wake.

Kensi started to protest but Deeks merely chuckled , grabbed her hand and pulled in the direction of the cars.

"Don't worry Wonder Woman, it's for Jack's safety, not yours" Deeks said to her as he opened the passenger door for her.

"Mmmm hmmm" she merely replied, not calling him out on the lie.

Deeks closed the door, jogged around the front of the car and hopped into the drivers seat, slipping the keys into the ignition. He backed out of the spot and adjusted to drive out of the lot. It wasn't until her apartment was in sight that she spoke.

"Hey Deeks?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks"

"Any time partner" he replied and turned his head head slightly, enough to catch the thoughtful look on her face.

"Kensi?" he was sure that he had definitely not done anything to piss her off in the last five minutes. But then, you never know with her. It's how she kept him on his toes.

And then once again she surprised him. She looked up at him, determinedly and said "friend".

"Friend?" he asked, unsure of where this was going.

"You're more than my partner Deeks, you're a great partner, probably the best partner I've ever had. I know I'm not easy to deal with but you get it. I dunno how, but you do. You're my friend too, Deeks." Kensi finished uncertainly, staring at her hands that were clenched tightly together in her lap.

Deeks was, to say the least, shocked. They didn't do this. They joked, they teased, they bantered. Seriousness was rarely their thing. And yet here she was, his very stubborn, oh so secretive partner cluing him in on his position in her life. He hadn't a clue how to respond, how to tell her that she meant the exact same to him, hell she meant more.

The tension between them grew thick, as if the air around them was waiting for him to answer, to break through the chasm between them. And then he was pulling up outside her place. She undid her seatbelt and he went to copy her. It was her car. He'd have to walk home or get a cab. But Kensi stilled his hand over the buckle before he could get his undone.

"Why don't you just drive her home? You can pick me up in the morning." she said, looking at him but not quite meeting his eyes.

"Sure" he replied, "I'll be here".

"Night Deeks" Kensi said and she gave him a tight lipped smile and slipped out of the car.

Deeks watched as she made her way across her courtyard, and into her apartment without looking back. As her door closed behind her, Deeks dropped his head to steering wheel.

"_Shit, shit shit!"_ he thought angrily. He just totally crashed and burned. Deeks lifted his head and turned in time to see her front door shut behind her. And it hit him. He couldn't let this go, couldn't let it end like this. No, that's not right. He couldn't let _her _ go, not like this. Deeks made a split second decision, hopped out of the car, and jogged across the yard towards her door.

**END. **

**A/N: Firstly, thanks for reading. **

**Secondly, I realise tanned-est isn't a word! **


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